Private Thomas Hartley

Private Thomas Hartley, 1st/7th ( Territorial ) Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers. He was reported missing, aged 25, on 26th April 1915 after the counter attack at St Julien during the Second Battle of Ypres but was later confirmed as killed on that date.   In its first action the Battalion suffered over 400 casualties. He was born in  Berwick-on-Tweed and enlisted at Alnwick, Northumberland. He was the son of Mrs Hartley 3 West End, Tweedmouth and worked with Allan Brothers, The Woodyard, Tweedmouth before enlisting. He is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders. The colour photograph shows the impressive Memorial raised to commemorate the fallen of the 50th ( Northumbrian ) Division of which the Battalion was part until February 1918 when it was transferred to the 42nd ( East Lancashire ) Division as a Pioneer Battalion. It was erected near the village of Weiltje in the Ypres Salient where nearby the Division had fought its first action of the War on 26th April 1915 only days after landing on the Continent.

 

Scroll to Top